Electrical connectors are frequently used to provide electrical connection in high-voltage, low-current energy systems, e.g., in systems carrying 600 V to 15 KV at one-half ampere or less. Such connectors must operate with high reliability, often under severe environmental conditions. For example, connectors are frequently incorporated into high-voltage, electronic circuits located in hostile environments and must maintain peak performance within a broad temperature range and under diverse vaporous and gaseous conditions. In addition, because of space and weight limitations, the connectors must be as compact and lightweight as possible, consistent with providing a reliable electrical seal. In high-voltage applications in particular, an inadequate seal can result in voltage leaks at interfaces between assembled parts of the connector and between the connector and a complementary connector when the connectors are mated.
Known high-voltage electrical connector assemblies comprised a flexible plug connector matable with a rigid receptacle connector. The plug connector comprised a socket contact secured to the end of the center conductor of an electrical lead, and embedded within an elastomeric connector body or plug moled around the contact and the end of the lead. The receptacle connector comprised a rigid cylindrical-shaped member having an outer wall and a central cavity and having a pin contact extending axially into the cavity through the base of the member. To mate the connectors, the flexible plug connector was inserted into the cavity of the receptacle connector to electrically connect the contacts in the two connectors. The elastomeric body of the plug connector surrounded the mated contacts and engaged the base and the inner surface of the outer wall of the receptacle cavity to provide an electrical seal around the mated contacts. To secure the mated connectors and to maintain a reliable electrical seal around the mated contacts, a cap on the plug connector was threaded onto the outer surface of the receptacle connector after mating.
The need for a threaded cap to secure the above-described connector assembly was undesirable in that it increased manufacturing costs and was often inconvenient to the user, particularly when the connector assembly was positioned in a relatively inaccessible location, or if a multiplicity of quick connections and disconnections were desired. In addition, the voltage leakage path in the connector assembly was of somewhat limited length, increasing the risk of a voltage leak at the interface between the mated connectors.